Clasp



14, 1930. E. c. GRASSMANN ,7

CLASP Filed April 22 1950 INVENTOR. Mazda fiafs'mawm,

A ITORNE Y.

Patented Oct. 14, 1930 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE EDWARD C.GRASSMANN, 0F MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY C.

' SCI-TICK, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY onnsn 7 Application filedApril 22,

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in clasps orfasteners for jewelry,

such as necklaces, bracelets, chains and similar articles.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a clasp orfastener comprising a female member and a separable male member, inwhich the female member is of a novel construction formed from a singleblank of sheet metal, with its parts brought into operative relation andsecured together by a simple interlocking structure, I d'uction thereof,soldering operations are avoided, with resultant saving of time andlabor, while nevertheless obtaining a finished product of strong anddurable character as well as of neat and attractive appearance.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated, will be understood from the following detailed descriptionof the same.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the novelclasp according to this invention, with the male member operativelyinterlocked with thefemale member thereof; Figure 2 is an edge elevationof the same; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the female member of theclasp, looking toward the solderless interlocking elements thereof,whereby the parts thereof are retained in assembled relation;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the novel clasp, with the male memberthereof released from interlocked engagement with the female member; andFigure 5 is aplan view of the integral metallic blank from which thenovel female member of the clasp is formed.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above describedviews, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to said drawings, the female member ofthe clasp is formed froma single metallic stamping or blank which is illustrated in Figure 5.This stamping or blank is so shaped as to provide a front plate section6 and aback plate section 7, having their adjacent ends integrallyjoined together by a whereby in the pro- 1930. Serial No. 446,235.

gitudinal axially projecting tongue mem- 0 V ber 12. V j

' In folding or bending said stamping or blank to form the novel femalemember of the clasp, the spacer posts or lug members 11 are first bentdownwardly at right angles 05 to the plane of said front plate section6, and so as to depend from the under side thereof. The back platesection 7 is thereupon folded overinto parallel superimposed relation tothe front plate section 6, the bend occurring at the bar or neck piece 8which is thus formed into an end loop 8 of the finished female member ofthe clasp. In thus folding over the back plate section 7, the same ismoved into abutting engagement with the ends of the downwardly turnedspacer lugs or posts 11, whereby the latter serve to space the backplate section 7 from the front plate section in the finished femalemember of the clasp. The eye-member 9 connected with the front platesection 6 is angularly bent to ward the back plate section 7, whereuponthe tongue member 12 of said bottom plate section is up-turned andinwardly curved to form an end loop 12, with the free end portion 12 ofsaid. tongue member 12 inserted through the eye-opening 10 of said eyemember 9, thus interlocking the adjacent superimposed ends of thefrontplate section 6 and back plate section 7 together in operative assembledrelation. The interlocking of said eye member 9 and tongue member 12provides a jointure of the front and back plate ture thus produced is amechanical interlock which requires no solder, brazing or'other adherentconnection, and consequently the '10s provision of such novel jointureeliminates the time and labor required in making soldered or similarjoints, while nevertheless providing a secure retention of the parts indesired assembled relation. The end loop 12, produced as abovedescribed, serves to receive a link 13 or the like for connecting thefemale member of the clasp to one extremity of a bracelet, necklace,chain or other article withlwhiclr the clasp isdesired to be utilized asa separable fastener means; i

The separable male element of the clasp may be of any well knownconventional form, and usually comprises a substantially U-shaped memberconsisting'of two laterally resilient arms 14 and 15 which are joined attheir forward ends. Each. arm is provided near the rearward or outerfree end thereof with a locking notch 16 to cooperate with posts 11 nearthe front end of the female member of the clasp. The free end portionsof said arms 14 and 15 are each provided with laterally indentedfinger-pieces 17. One of said arms, as 14;, is provided with anextension 18 at. the free end of which is formed an eye-portion 19 toreceive a link 20 or the like for connecting the male member to theother extremity of a bracelet, necklace, chain or other article to beserved by the clasp. In engaging, the male member with the female memberof the clasp, the free arm 15 of the former is hooked over the end loop8' of the latter, whereupon the male member is turned into axialalignment with the female member and thrust inwardly into the spacebetween the front and back plate sections thereof and between thelaterally opposite posts 11 near the receiving end of the female member.The arms 14 and 15 will be compressed together between said posts 11until their locking notches 16 register with the latter, the armsthereupon spreading outwardly to cause said locking notches to embracesaid posts, and thereby interlocking the male and female members of theclasp operatively together. It will thus be understood that the claspprovides thewell known safety type connector, for should the malemember-be accidentally disengaged from the posts 11 of the femalemember, its hook-like formation will, on outward movement from thefemale member, be engaged by the end loop 8, so that entire separationthereof from the female member is arrested and pre vented, until themale member is turned out of axial alignment with the female member.

From the above description it will be understoodthat the presentinvention provides a clasp of the safety type, in which the femalemember is of a novel one-piece construction, having its parts bent intofinished assembled and cooperative relation, and thereupon firmlyinterlocked together against displacement from such relation,

without necessity for use of soldering or similar operations.

As many changes could be made in the above described construction andmany apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could bemade without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shouldbe interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

I claim:

1. A jewelry clasp comprising a female member and a cooperatingseparable male member, said female member being made from a single blankforming a front and a back plate integrally connected at one end by anend loop portion, one of said plates having an eye portion at itsopposite end and the other having a tongue at its opposite end, saidtongue being bent to form an opposite end loop with its free end engagedthrough said eye-portion to interlock said opposite plate ends together,and one of said plates having integral with its margins spacer postsbent toward and adapted to abut theother plate, whereby said plates aremaintained in superimposed parallel spaced relation one to the other. 7

2. A clasp body produced from a single blank of sheet material bent toprovide superimposed front and back plates having an integral end loopjoining the same at one end, one of said plates having an eye portion atits opposite endand the other of said plates having a tongue at itscorresponding opposite end, said tongue being bent to form an oppositeend loop with its free end engaged through said eye portion to interlocksaid opposite plate ends together, and means to maintain said plates inparallel spaced relation one to the other.

3. A clasp body produced from a single blank of sheet material bent toprovide superimposed front and back plates having an integral end loopjoining the same at one end, one of said plates having an eye portion atits opposite end and the other of said plates having a tongue at itscorresponding opposite end, said tongue being bent to form an oppositeend loop with its free end engaged througl'i said eye portion tointerlock said opposite plate ends together, and means to maintain saidplates in parallel relation one to the other, said latter meanscomprising spacer posts integral with the margins of one plate and benttoward and into abutting relation to the other plate.

4. In a device of the kind described, a female member formed from a flatunitary stamping, said member comprising a front plate, aback plate,v anintegral interconnect ing end loop joining the same at one end, marginalspacer posts integral with oneplate,

and angularly bent to abut the other plate, and cooperative means at theother end of said plates for joining the same together in fixedassembled relation.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereuntoset my hand this 21st day of April, 1930.

EDWARD C. GRASSMANN.

